Buying And Selling Cattle And Buffalo

[Jessy]

If I was to buy a calf for a girlfriend how much would it cost, how long does it take to rear it, and what profit can be expected. I know a foreigner who claimed that he bought three calves for his girlfriend and she was sensible enough to take the business seriously and ended up making a very handsome profit on each cow. Other than that he was quite vague. Does anyone have any experience of this??

[Issangeorge]

Okay, my wife bought 2 cows and a bull in 2001 for 30,000 baht. Her mother sold the bull for 15,000 baht af which my wife never saw the money. The cows had calfs and through the years my wife has sold 3 for 17,500 baht, 1 for 6,500 baht, sold one for 3,000 baht and one for 11,500 baht. So for her 30,000 investment she has got back 53,500 baht. She also gave one cow to her brother and one died on her. She still has a bull that she is fattening up right now to go to market and will probably get 15-20,000 baht for. Non of the other cows did she bother to fatten up.

I baught a pregnet cow in April 2004 for 8,000 baht and now have a 27 month old heffer, a 13 month old heffer and a 1 month old bull calf. I also still have the cow, I have not sold any, but at fire sale prices I could get at least 35,000 baht for my 8,000 baht investment.

You can see some money can be made. The expenses are low if the cows just grazze and are fed by cut and carry and concentrate is not used. You have to have land for them to graze on, the rice paddies in the dry season and some other land in the raining season, and someone to look after them.

I would only buy at the right price, cheap, and Thai cows, and would stay away from the Brahman show cows. My advice would be to give your girlfriend a budget of 15,000 to 30,000 and tell her that is all she can spend. Tell her to buy a pregnet cow that is vissably pregne, preferably from someone she knows and from someone who needs the money. For 30,000 baht she should be able to get a cow that has a 4-5 month old calf and is pregnet, of course you won't be able to tell if the cow is pregnet, but the calf shows she can get pregnet.

I have a buddy who paid 49,000 baht for a beautiful Brahman cow that he was assured was pregnet. He thought this was a great price as these cows can go for 100,000 baht plus. Well it was so cheap because it was not pregnet and showed no signs of ever wanting to get pregnet, finally after over a year and not comming into heat, he sold it for 29,000 baht, still a large price when all the cow was worth was its meat value of maybe 20,000 baht.

When buying a cow unless for milk, think that when all is said and done the cow is only worth the meat value of it or its offspring. Issangeorge.

[chownah]

Good advise from Isaangeorge....this is how I intend to start my cowboy experience perhaps within the year. Another way to go if you want to spend less money to get started is to buy young calves either from a dairy farmer who wants to ween them off of milk so it can be sold or a calf whose mother has died. The profit margin might not be as good (I don't really know) as buying a pregnant cow but the initial investment should be much smaller and perhaps it would be less complicated in that you don't have to deal with the birthing process etc. ....but I've only read about this and have no direct experience so I'm hoping that RandomChances of Maizefarmer come on and post about raising the unwanted calves from dairy herds.

Chownah

[teletiger]

I would advise anyone, without experience, to stay away from young dairy calves........"but they're so cute"....ok, take note.

Dairy calves up to 1 week old should cost you 500/600 Baht each. Make sure they have had at least 2 days of colostrum milk from the mother. If they don't get this, they WILL DIE...60/80%. The ones that don't die will always be "bad doers", catching everything going. The colostrum milk gives them the mothers antibodies, to fight off common diseases.

Feeding is 2 x 2ltr formula mix per day. Better is 4 x 1ltr feeds. After 2 weeks this will rise to 6 litres per day. Bottle feed them, (or put a teat onto a bucket). Don't just feed them from a bucket. When they suckle (teat) a tube forms in the rumen, which passes the milk straight into the absomen, where it can be utilised. When feeding from a bucket,(head in bucket), the tube doesn't form and the milk goes straight into their (undeveloped) rumen, where it sits and curdles. After 1 month introduce them to "calf starter". A few handfuls or ground corn with the starter will help the rumen develop more rapidly. By 2/ 3 months, all being well, they should be eating 1 kilo+ of the calf starter and then you can wean them off the milk. Mix the starter with grass/hay and you're nearly home. Worm them only after 6 weeks old. Bedding must be kept clean and dry. DON'T keep them on a concrete floor, unless it's with a thick straw bedding. Even professional raisers figure on a 10% loss. Google "scours" (liquid poo ), you will have to deal with it at some stage and it can kill calves very quickly.

Better to buy a weaned calf that is grazing. Costs more but less problems. RC reckons on 1,000 Baht per month of age...is about right

There's loads I've missed out. It's hard work.

Regards.

[beammeup]

Hello farmers, I was wondering is Buffalo milk is available up in Isan? I live in the south and it doesnt seem to be. I would like to make Mozzarella cheese with it.

[RamdomChances]

but I've only read about this and have no direct experience so I'm hoping that RandomChances of Maizefarmer come on and post about raising the unwanted calves from dairy herds.

Teletiger sumed it up nicely. We usually get rid of ours for about 500 Bhat a head just after they finnish on the colostrum. The first 3 months is the big problem with them as you have'nt got any mothers milk, a bag of powderd milk is just over 1000 bhat, you would probably spend 3000 bhat feeding in the first 3 months to get a "for sale value" of 3000 bhat !! After that is not too bad, they are still more suseptible to parasites and illness than Brahman and don't seem to to grow as quickly. Fine if you just want a mobile lawn mower to keep some ground clear, comercialy I'd go for the Brahman.

[Jessy]

Thanks for your valuable advice, guys. It's given me a lot to think about. Appreciated.

[magnusvv]

Is the market for buying and selling buffalo different from the above examples for cattle? Can buffalo be profitably sold for meat?

[chownah]

Is the market for buying and selling buffalo different from the above examples for cattle? Can buffalo be profitably sold for meat?

Buffalo is a regular part of the diet in the north where I live so there must be some money to be made raising it....but like most farm products the profit margins are no doubt quite slim.

...but I don't know for sure....

Chownah